Construction for the largest floating solar system in the Netherlands is starting in April. This 1.85 MW solar power capacity will be deployed on a water reservoir in Lingewaard in the central part of the country.
Module supplier Hanwha Q Cells says this 'first large-scale commercial floating PV system in the country' may as well be the blue print for many more floating solar power projects in the future.
Local installation company Tenten Solar Zonnepanelen B.V. is developing the project for Drijvend Zonnepark Lingewaard B.V., under the government's Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie (SDE+) or Stimulation of Sustainable Energy Production scheme. Generators of clean energy are compensated financially for self-generation. The scheme is open to companies, institutes and non-profits.
Project construction starts in April 2018 and is scheduled to finish by June 2018. It will cover a water surface area of around 15,800 m2. Hanwha Q Cells will deliver more than 6,100 Q.PEAK-G4.1300 W monocrystalline solar modules. France's Ciel et Terre will put up swimming pontoons, while SolarEdge of Germany will supply its inverters and optimizers for the project.
On being switched on and connected to the grid, the project is expected to generate around 1,757.5 MWh of clean energy annually.
"We are 100% convinced that our floating PV system will only be the starting point for many more successful floating solar projects in the Netherlands. Since our inland waterways have a surface of about 7,650 km2, floating systems can have an important contribution in terms of increasing the renewable energy supply in the Netherlands," said Director of Drijvend Zonnepark Lingewaard, Frans van Herwijnen.